Stamping and numbering machine.



PATENTED APR. 16, 1907.

J. PRENGH. STAMPING AND NUMBERING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED 00T.30. 1906.

im www mi@ iff @@/W uitroeien JOSEPH FRENO l, F il/TOONSCKET,

Iii-ioni.. retiran.

specification of Letters :estese Patented April 16, .lL-907.

Application filed October 30i 1906. Serial No. 341,323-

'To if/ZZ wil/0m t may con/cern: f

. Be it known that i, Josarn; Fenner-1, a citizen oit the United States, residing; at Woonsocket, in the county of Providence, State of ployment therein of printing or type Wheelsoi small and uniform diameter and capalile of )printing any desired letter Within the range of the alphabet combined. with a number comprising one oi more digits or figures.

My aim in generalis to produce a practical machine for use in marking articles received ,by a laundry-as7 for instance, with the initial of the owners name, 'a liool-letter, or otherindeX-letter, combined with a suitable reference-:number and in some instances 'companied also by .special-signs or marks. Byrny invention .i avoid the usefoi type- Wheels ci large diameter and enable the printinghead to he made of convenient and practicable proportions. A. Wheel contain .ing the entire alphabet ci twenty-six letters andin addition thereto ablank to he' nresentedat the printing-line when it is desired that none ,of such letters shall print and having the letters spaced around its periphery at the properdistance apart 'to aord a suilicient clearance between proximate letters to insure that only one letterat time shall malte contact vii h the surface which is to he td 'i'xp'on would require to have adi unter measuring; about seven inches. il. group or iii-wheels of suoli diameter, 'together with the necessary carryingv and in closing,l framing; and casing, would constitute I"a head silvery considerable and undesirable size.

Such head would he too large and heavy tor actuatlonhy the means and 1n the manner'lieretotore 4usual. A machine conn Wheels measuringseven inches or even eiX inches in diameter not practicable. The question ofi` cost is important, moreover. The cost of a'ivheel is proportionate te its diameter. in'addition the `greater theA diameter of a wheel, the thickness ren'iaining,- the same, the-incre dillcult is it to make the same truc and ilat, so that a series'of wheels shall lit ornrest closely together side by side.

More expensive modes" of production have to. he adopted in the case of large Wheels. @ne large wheel costs several times as much as one of lia-lf thediameter. Furthermore, in 'practice the type-wheels oi machiner 'it pres ent in' use have. combined therevvitu detent devices to prevent accidental turning of the Wheels. actuated dogs or pavvl-lile retainers entering between adjacent characters on the periphcries of the Wheels or entering notches on the sides ci the respective wheels near the periplieries oiE the latter.

'ille settingci the Wheels is effected with the aid ol devices located at the center and pnwided with a thumb-Wheel hy means ci which the individual Wheels mayhe turned loy hand to bring; the required characters lto the printing-line. "l he greater the diameter of the ,Wheels theharder it is to turn the latN ter h t hand with the aid oi the centrali -lo-` 5 cated thumhfwheel, "because 'the detent devices yact proportionately'farther from the center and with increasing; leverage to op pose the turi'iingm movement. ihe diiicul ty and inconvenience of turningT large Wheels hy means ci? the 'thumhavheel has operated. inl practice to control the diameter of the wheels. Again, if in a machine equipped to print a letter and accompanying number the letter hearing; Wheel .should he of a diameter. to car-ry the entire alphabet the numeraldnrarine` Wheels if o'i the same diameter would he unnecessarily laree-that to say, they would he considerahly larger around the ririheri thereof-tiran tli needs .require and there would he useless space thereon.

r.ine invention consists, essi'n'itially, in a printing-head provided with settahie. tyA wheels or printininwli having the lettre oi vthe alphabet in consecutive ord er, d ii'fided hetween two `wheeis which are'loc ated side hy side and also having` the ten. digits upon each ci a plurality ci nru'ieral-irheels ne adjap taining a printing-head. provided with type-i cent the second ei the said alphahet--uneels lThese devices comprise spring-- The invention consists, further, in a print- .ing-head having the vcharacteristics just specified, and in which in addition the sec.- ond of the alphabet-wheels also bears ten digits.

It consists, further, in a printing-head havpanying drawings, in which latter-g Figure 1 shows in side elevation a printing-head with an embodiment of the invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is afrontclevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a ,develo ment in a plane oi the'periphery of the first otterbearing wheel ofthe printing-head of Figs. l and 2. Fig. 4 isI a development of the second letter-bearing wheel. Fig. 5 is a development of one of the numeral-bearing wheels.y Figs. 6,-7, and S show, respectively, developments of letterbearing and numeral-bearing wheels containing a smaller number of printing characters than in the case of Figs. l to 5.

Having reference to the drawings, atl, Figs. l and 2, is the body' portion of a printing-head, and at 2, Fig. 1, is a portion of the carrying-arm. 1 A

At 3 3? 3b, &c., are type-wheels, at 4 the index or indicator of the setting devices, and at 15 5 are thumb-wheels pertaining to the said setting devices and by. means or' which the respective wheels may be turned byhand in setting the same.

. As thus far referred to, the parts,with the exception hereinafter indicated, are or may he oi any usual or preferred construction,

and the remainder of the machine may be, iiy

desired, constructed as shown and described in the Letters Patent aforesaid.

In the embodiment of my invention which is illustrated in Figs. -1 to 5 the letters or' the alphabet are divided between the two Wheels 3 and 3, which are located side by side, the

4, and 5 and is intended for a series of wheelsv having twenty-one, lperipheral `subdivisions on each, exclusive oi the usual spaces or deressions between printing characters. The.

i rst Wheel 3 (shoWnbyFig. 3) carries the first twenty letters of the alphabet-. e., "A to HL'l"and one blank, where the projection 'is omitted to reduce a space which may be pre'- sented at t e printing-line when the Wheel is desired not to print. The second wheel 3L (shown by Fig. 4) bears the remaining letters of the alphabet, and in addition thereto a set of. digits, as aforesaid, together with four special characters to bring the number of printing characters up to twenty, there being 'linally the usual blank space. The numeralf wheels 3b 3b,'&c., one of which is shown by Fig. 5, are each provided with two sets of digits differing from each other in size and the usual blan space. A y

` The arrangement* of Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are designed for employment upon wheels which are three and one-tourth inches over all and will aflord ample clearance. The extent of this clearance is shown by the horizontal lines which invFig. l touch the .tace et the character which is in position to print ar. the proximate shoulder of the next adjacent character at the left-hand side in suchiigure. This clearance amounts in practice to .043. In the case of the arrangements shown in Figs. 6, 7, 'and Shthe first wheel 3 carries the first thirteen letters of the alphabet and has-the usual blank space. The second wheel 3d has the remaining letters of the alphabet and a blank space. Each of the numeral-wheels 3e, Fig. 8, has the ten digits, three Ispecial characters,

' and a blank space.- The vwheels of Figs. .6, 7,

and S are considerably less in diameter than those of Figs. lvto 5, with increasedclearance.

The number of printing characters upon epcli wheel admits of being varied still 'turt ier;

'wheels or printingwheels,'and having the' letters of the alphabet, in 'consecutive order, divided between two wheels which are located sideby side. 2. ln a stain ing and numbering machine,

a printing-hear provided with settable type-` wheels or printingwheels having the letters of the alphabet, divided between twowheels which are located side byside, and also having the ten digits upon` each of a plurality of I prefer .the arrangement which is represented in Flgs. 3, 4, and 5 because 1t en- IOO IIO

numeral-wires s next adjacent the "second of the said'alphabet-wheels.

3. In a stamping and numbering machine, a printing-liead provided 'with'settablc type-l wheels or'printing-wheels having the letters of the alphabet, divided between two wheels Awhich are located side by side, the second of such wheels alsobearing theten digits, and

Iig'

also having the ten digiivfs upon each of a piulaiity of 1iLuneidi-iifhceis next adjacent the said second alphabet-Wheel.

I'. ,In stamping amd mimbeiing machine, a, printing-head pi'oidei'i with settable type- Wiiecs m.' printing-wheels having the letbei of die alphabet, fq'ivided between twor Wheels wiiiuh :im limited sido by side, the second of such. wheels 150 hearing the en digits, and

io also having two sets of digits difering in ap i pearanoe upon each of a puiaiity digital or numeral whe/eis next djacam yi511@ said second alpiabtf'wheel.

In testimmxjy Whemof l Mib; my Signmiue l i I in. presence of two Witnsses.

i YX/vltnesses i CMAS. VF. RANMLL,

| EDITH J. ANDERSON. 

